A neck and neck race for the Southeast Division lead will heat up on Tuesday as the upstart Florida Panthers hope to defend a narrow lead over a Washington Capitals team slowly reestablishing itself as a force on the NHL hockey betting line.

Can the Panthers hang on to their spot among the Eastern Conference’s playoff pack? As things stand right now, the winner of the division will lay claim to the No. 3 seed in the bracket. Nobody else, however, is on pace to qualify for the top eight.

The depth of the rest of the conference makes the early week bout between two division rivals in the Southeast all the more important. Although the Panthers remain on the NHL betting futures list with 30/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup, they will have their work cut out for them against the Capitals whose reputation as a legitimate contender overshadows any recent misfortune.

With 18/1 odds on the NHL hockey betting line, the Capitals are a threat in the eyes of hockey odds makers. So long as Alex Ovechkin is healthy and in uniform, there is no real surprise why.

If the Panthers are to cling desperately to their first playoff berth since 2000, they will need to come up big against their rivals because things stand, anything less than a division championship might not be enough.